James River Journal Archive
May 9—Sturgeon Fishing
Mike Kendrick and I left this morning at 5:00 to meet Albert Spells, USFWS, and watermen George Trice and Jimmy Moore to fish for Atlantic sturgeon. We left the dock at Deep Creek around 6:00 aboard the Gloria J headed for Burwells Bay in a heavy fog. With the help of radar, GPS and George’s extensive knowledge of the water we soon arrived at the site where they had set their gill nets as part of a experimental fishery being conducted by Virginia SeaGrant and the USFWS.
During our 3 hours of fishing we pulled in and reset about 8 nets ranging in size from 5 to 14 inch mesh. We caught 5 sturgeon in all—3 alive and two dead. Three of the fish were approximately 5 feet long and two were 3 feet long. The live fish were tagged and released and the dead ones were autopsied. Genetic material was taken from all.
This study started in February and will end in early June. It is providing a lot of information on the habits of these magnificent fish in the lower James. Hope we can do more in the tidal fresh portions in the future.
Weather was cool and cloudy and foggy so we really could not see much.
May 11-VCU Nutrient Study
Today was the second day of a program I am working on with Dr Paul Bukaveckas and two of his graduate students, Brent Lederer and Matt Beckwith. These studies are looking at algal growth and bacterial communities in the tidal fresh James. The objective of the studies is to provide finer scale resolution of algal bloom dynamics and possibly enhance the ability to predict future blooms.
As part of the study, the students are measuring the amount of chlorophyll a in the water at various locations from Kingsland Reach to Westover. Their lab results will help me calibrate the new chlorophyll a probe we recently purchased. This is really important since the new chlorophyll standards are now in place.
As we collect more data we will put it in chart format and post it to the web.
Saw a lot of eagles today up and down the river.
May 25—Motorboat Operator Certification Course (MOCC)
Spent the week in Gloucester attending the MOCC presented by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Amber Foster also attended. Completion of this course allows us to operate USFWS boats. Since we partner frequently with USFWS, this was and important step.
The class was really useful. No matter how much time you have on the water, it is always good to refresh yourself on proper boat operation, safety, etc.
The York River is nice but it will be good to get back on the James.
June 6—Dr. Chris Hager, Sturgeon Research
Today, Chris Hager and I went to check some recoding devices we have had in the river since late February. These radio receivers will record and identify transmitters implanted in fish as they swim within 600 meters of the receiver. We were particularly looking for sturgeon that might come by. The receivers covered the river from Rocketts Landing near Richmond to Jamestown Island and the mouth of the Appomattox River.
We found several fish that had come as far up the James as Windmill Point but none were recorded any further up river. The fish we recorded seemed to move between Windmill Point and Fort Pocahontas on a regular basis. There are a couple of really deep holes in this area—up to 90 feet deep—that are potential spawning grounds.
It was sunny but cool this morning. A great day to be out.
June 21—James River Sojourn/James River 400
Not out in the boat today but on the river for another purpose. Went to Robious Landing Park to meet the paddlers from the James River Sojourn and the James River 400 as they came in for lunch. As part of the luncheon program, we had arranged for education displays of local macroinvertibrates (bugs) and a fish shocking demonstration.
Bill joined the paddlers coming to Robious and spoke during lunch about the State of the James Report. Good stuff.
If you have not been to Robious Landing Park, you should check it out. It is a first class facility for picnicking, canoeing, hiking etc.
June 22—VCU Research
Today, our research carried up from Jordan Point to the lower river near Newport News. Our objective was to see the differences, if any, in nutrients and bacteria that far down the river and away from the concentration of inputs further up.
It is a really nice trip from Jordan Point down to the Burwells Bay with so many interesting things to see like Jamestown, the ferries, the Surry nuclear power plant, Busch Gardens, Kingsmill, the Ghost Fleet and the Newport News shipyards. As nice as the trip is, it can be a little rough also. Coming back we had winds out of the north at about 25 miles per hour the whole way. The Riverkeeper boat is really stable and usually pretty dry but with this type wind hitting us dead on the beam, we took a few waves over the side. Normally, this would have felt good on a hot day but the salty water washed some of the sunscreen I had on into my eyes. Boy, did that burn. I made a note to myself to get some new waterproof sunscreen as soon as I got back.
July 4—Independence Day
Went out for a few minutes today to see what the crowds looked like on the water. Could not stay long because we were cooking hot dogs and hamburgers for the family later in the afternoon. Nice, hot day and a lot of people out on the James enjoying the river.
Saw two guys on personal watercraft (jet skis) get stuck on the mud flat across from City Point. During low tide, there is only a few inched of water in some of these areas. They finally got off but only after slogging through mud up to their knees. This area used to be covered with grass but is now all silted over. Always check your charts and be sure of where you are going when you get out of the channel. There are some tricky spots out there.
The baby ospreys are really growing. It seems like each buoy and daymark has a nest and each nest has a pair of young ones. They are magnificent birds and can really put on an aerial display.
James River Journal
July 16, Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIS)
Amber and I met today with a contractor who is working with NOAA’s CBIS program as part of the John Smith Water Trail. This is really a neat thing. The buoy in the James is located off Jamestown Island. By dialing the CBIS toll-free number, 1-877-286-9229 (1-877-buoybay), you can get detailed information regarding seasonal messages, geographic messages, historic messages or observational messages. I’m particularly interested in the observational messages where I can get almost real-time water quality or meteorological data. Other buoys are located at Point Lookout and the Patapsco River.
We brainstormed for a while on ways JRA could tie in to the system. Call the toll-free number above, listen to the reports and then send me you ideas on how this could be of use to us.
July 18, Appomattox River Company, Farmville
Bill, Thomas and I traveled to Farmville today to look at canoes for our forthcoming canoe rig. I felt like a little kid at Christmas with all the neat boats they have there. This is not an advertisement, but if you like canoes and kayaks, this is the place to go. Selection is great and the staff is quite knowledgeable.
We decided on Old Town Discovery 158’s. These are all around boats that should serve us well for a long time. I’m looking forward to putting them to good use.
July 20, Herring Creek Grass
Out today on our bi-weekly research with VCU folks. After working our regular six stations, we went into Herring Creek to take some samples. It was dead low tide when we got there and I could not believe my eyes. All along the mud flats on the exposed shoreline was a sea of green—some type of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). I picked up samples from several locations and can’t wait to identify them.
July 25, Staff Trip to the Ghost Fleet
I left the slip this morning at 7:00 en route to meet all the staff at Chickahominy Riverfront Park for our combination staff meeting and river exploration trip. What a great way to start the day. The air was still cool and the scenery was beautiful as I made my way down river. It takes me approximately one hour and 15 minutes to make the trip non-stop but I always seem to find something to distract me so I allow some extra time. This time it was the construction of the new Route 5 bridge. They are really making progress on this and not any too soon.
We left the boat ramp at the park and headed up Gordon Creek, where Amber told us about the watershed planning work she is doing there. Good stuff! It was really good also to see the amount of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), or underwater grasses, that were in the creek. This is a good sign.
Leaving the creek, we ran down the James toward Kingsmill. On the way, we stopped at the Jamestown CBIS site and all listened to the messages. I checked their water quality measurement with my instruments and found them to be extremely close—good news. After lunch we traveled to the Ghost Fleet, or what’s left of it, and then went into Lawns Creek to see the marsh that had been mowed last year by a local developer.
On the way back to the dock, we stopped at Jamestown and looked at the three replica ships docked there. It really is amazing that the colonists crossed the Atlantic in them. Before returning to the park, we toured Morris Creek up to the public boat ramp in the Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area. This is another beautiful creek that was also loaded with SAV.
Returned to the park at 4:00 PM. A really good day trip with some outstanding people!
July 26, Trip with Michele Merkel, Chesapeake Waterkeeper Regional Coordinator
I had the privilege today to take out Michele Merkel, the new Chesapeake Waterkeeper Regional Coordinator. Michele had never been out on the James before and was impressed with the both the beauty of the river here and the work JRA is doing to protect it. We saw fish jumping, ospreys and eagles, blue herons, crabs, SAV and much more. She said her idea of the James was something like Newport News or Norfolk where everything was industrialized and built up.
I invited Michele to come back and see other parts of the watershed in the near future. She enthusiastically accepted my invitation.
August 3, VCU Research
Not much to report on our trip today, thank goodness. The water quality we have been measuring has been decent this summer and we have not had the large algae blooms we have had the past several summers. It was extremely hot today—close to 100 degrees. It’s not too bad when you are running but we have two stations that take approximately 45 minutes each to work up and the sun can get pretty hot then.
On another note, we noticed that the watermen have moved their crab pots up-river as far as Westover. It won’t be long before they are all the way past Hopewell. I’ve already gotten several crabs from the two recreational pots that I hang from the dock at the Hopewell City Marina where I keep my personal boat. They have all been nice Jimmys (male blue crab). At the prices I saw for crabs in the paper the other day, I’m going to keep my pots in the water as long as I can. I’ll be walking sideways before long.
August 5, Running Aground
We had a work day at church this afternoon so I could not get to my boat until 3:00 PM. As I turned into the marina, I was greeted by Hopewell emergency vehicles and then the Prince George Police Boat unloading a mother and several small children, one of whom appeared to be suffering from the heat (about 99 degrees at that time).
Several other official boat s came to the site and went to see about the rest of the family. They were near City Point stuck hard on the mud flat between Hopewell and Epps Island. With the tide at dead low, there was no way to tow the boat off the flat at that time or to get to the others. Waiting for the tide to come in wading through the mud for much needed water from the officers was the only option. As far as I know, all are OK.
As I have said before, the river can be tricky if you don’t know where you are going. Getting stuck hard in the mud with small children, 100 degree temperatures, no drinking water and thunderstorms brewing is not a good situation to be in. Do your homework first—invest in and use a good set of charts. Always be prepared fore the worst. We don’t want any tragedies on the water.
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